Algerian Cuisine Cuisine Algerienne by Farid ZADI

Mediterranean Creole™ #6 Foodcast in English- Merguez Spiced Keema Kebabs and Mint and Lemon Marinated Chicken Kebabs with Salsa Tomatish (Tomato Salsa)

I reserved about 3/4 of a pound of merguez spiced keema (ground meat) from foodcast #4 to demonstrate how to form a keema kebab. I used 2-2 1/2 pounds of boneless chicken thigh and leg meat with the skin on. You can use boneless chicken breast, but I prefer the flavor of leg meat for this application. Do not distribute video, do not post video to youtube, google, etc... All materials are the property of Farid Zadi C/2007

Mediterranean Creole™ #5 Foodcast in English- Fideos (Fidwash, Fidawash) with Merguez Spiced Meatballs (Kefta)

Adam Balic's post about the history of fideos

However, in the case of this particular group of pasta, there is a particular pasta type called as “Fidawsh/Fidaush” mentioned in an anonymous thirteenth century Hispano-Muslim cookbook (translated by Charles Perry). In this text there a discussion on the basic shapes of pasta, followed by a description on how to cook them. Curiously the medieval cooking method still closely resembles that specialized cooking technique that is used today. For the interesting thing about this pasta dish is that it is actually cooked in it's sauce, rather then being dressed with a seperately prepared sauce.

The tomato broth I refer to in the video is lighter than a tomato sauce, so I call it a broth. Use vine ripened tomatoes for this simple preparation, you'll notice a lovely fresh tomato fragrance as the sauce cooks. I use 2 pounds of ground beef with a fat content of about 27% (I get it ground by a butcher). Do not be afraid of fat! A lot of  it cooks off during the browning process, but the flavor and moisture remain. My merguez spice blend recipe.

This episode is broken up into 3 clips as the file size for a single video clip was much too large for my computer to handle. We used a different kitchen this time, the lighting and sound quality are much better. We only had fairly minor ambient noise and chose not to use our external microphone. The camera person also had a lot more space to move around to shoot at different angles. Overall I think Sunday's shooting resulted in a much more dynamic show than our first one. Do not distribute video, do not post video to youtube, google, etc... All materials are the property of Farid Zadi C/2007

August 12, 2007 Algerian Foodcast Filming Recipes

I haven't completed my shopping yet, but so far the items for tomorrow's menu are, so things could change. The tentative list.

1. Chorba (soup) with semolina dumplings. (I received an email request for a semolina dumpling recipe)
2. Fidwash (Fideos) with merguez spiced kofta (meatballs) cooked in a light tomato broth. 
3. Lamb or chicken brochettes with mint pesto (a minty version of chermoula)
4. Lemonade with mint or maybe grenadine

Why do I use Adobe flash player for my foodcasts?

This is another question I received via email. I use Adobe flash player because it is the most widely available player on the internet. According to the company's website 98% of internet users already have the program. My audience is not just US based, I have lots of readers from Europe and North Africa. My French foodcasts and bilingual recipe posts are obviously for a francophone audience base. The internet is fairly new to Algeria and rapidly growing. I want to keep download times as painless as possible. I don't use youtube or google video hosting and choose to pay for hosting services because my foodcasts are copyrighted materials. For those of you who want a larger video or higher-definition video, I do have the technology for that. But that would mean uploading the videos in a less accessible format. Yes, I can link to two different video formats in my posts, but that involves paying considerably higher hosting fees (it adds up quickly and easily turn into hundreds of dollars per month) and more extra work than I have time for at the moment.

Mediterranean Creole™ #4 ((Foodcast in French/en Français) Tuna Skabetch with Preserved Lemon Citronette

Do not distribute video, do not post video to youtube, google, etc... All materials are the property of Farid Zadi C/2007

Mediterranean Creole™ #3 (Foodcast in French/en Français) Bay Scallops with Preserved Lemon Citronette

Do not distribute video, do not post video to youtube, google, etc... All materials are the property of Farid Zadi C/2007

Itemized List of Equipment for Foodcasts

Itemized List of Equipment for Foodcasts (videocasts, podcasts, vlog)

I received several emails asking about the equipment used for this blog and the foodcasts. Early readers have commented on how much the still photographs have improved since I first started this blog. At first we used a very cheap, low pixel digital camera. Last year we purchased an Olympus Stylus 800, an 8 megapixel camera for $500-$600 (I don't remember exactly how much we paid). For the videocasts we use our digital camera as a kind of second camera. You'll notice we edit in still images to our videocasts.

I'm not suggesting that the equipment we use is the best, the best in their price categories or that we paid the best price for them. But they are all easy to use and were affordable for us.

1. Canon ZR800 DV Camcorder- $279
2. Extra 5 hour battery- $79.99 (the camercorder comes with a battery that is good for less than an hour)
3. Tripod- $54.99 (it's definately sturdy enough for our little camecorder)
4. External microphone- $99.99 (most consumer camcorders don't seem to have adequate internal microphones for recording at least decent sound for videocasts. One issue is that the Canon ZR800 does not have a plate for attaching the external microphone- go figure. We did not use an external microphone for the first shoot)
5. Firewire or IEEE 1394 card for PC- $19.99, necessary for connecting the dv cable to the computer
6. DV Cable- 31.99 (Umm... the camcorder doesn't come with this, it's needed to download video from the camcorder to the computer)
7. Adobe Vlog software- $29.00 (video editing software that is incredibly easy to use and very good for even very tight editing, highly recommended)
8. Vlog or videocast hosting playstream.com- $22 per month plan for now

Oh yeah, the chef's shirt I wear is from Bragard, the Marcou, $26.00. I like it because it's clean and simple looking. They have other chef shirts that are much more expensive, but they look a little pretentious and frou frou to me. My pants are black cotton trousers in a slimmer fit ($50-$75), I don't like baggy elastic waist or drawstring pants and my shoes are Swedish clogs ($100-$150). I wear J.M. Weston shoes and suit trousers for other occasions and I'm considering having custom chef's shirts made in a better quality cotton. Yes, people ask these questions.

Mediterranean Creole™ #2 (Foodcast in French/en Français) Dersa Marinated Sautéed Shrimp with Preserved Lemon Mahonais

Do not distribute video, do not post video to youtube, google, etc... All materials are the property of Farid Zadi C/2007

Mediterranean Creole™ #1 (Foodcast in French/en Français) Poulet au riz épicé, Djej bil roz, Arroz con pollo, Chicken and rice tagine in the style of Oran, Algeria

Do not distribute video, do not post video to youtube, google, etc... All materials are the property of Farid Zadi C/2007

Chicken and Rice Tagine. This is an Algerian home cooking presentation. Invariably someone will ask if they can use boneless chicken. The bones add a lot of flavor to the dish, leaving the bone in turns the cooking liquid into a quick stock. It saves the cook the trouble of preparing a separate stock. Canned chicken stock is usually too high in sodium and adds an artificial "tinny" taste to dishes. The flavor is superior with bone in chicken. I used three drumsticks and three thighs for the dish, if you prefer breast meat I still suggest bone in whole breast, cut into four pieces.

8/05/07 Foodcast Shoot- Recipes with Preserved Lemons

Photos from today's shoot. Chicken and Saffron Rice Tagine with Preserved lemons or Arozz con Pollo in the Style of Oran. I plated the other dishes as kemia or mezze (small plates). Sauteed Shrimp with Preserved Lemon Mahonais (mayonnaise), Bay Scallops with Preserved Lemon Citronette and Greens and Tuna Skabetch (escabeche) with Roasted Peppers and Carmelized Shallots. The plating and manner of garnishing for the small plates is more international restaurant style, but the flavors and components are 100% Algerian. For example with the scallop dish, an Algerian home cook might serve the scallops on top of the greens or for the tuna skabetch the carmelized shallots and roasted peppers might me incorporated into the skebetch sauce.

Today's foodcast shoot had a few surprises and some learning experiences. A commercial kitchen is not the best place to shoot a foodcast. The stainless steel tables and appliances reflect light like a mirror, to make the bad lighting situation even worse the lights directly above me were set on a dimmer switch that caused them to flicker like disco lights.

Another issue was ambient noise from fans, hoods, ice machinces, etc... which I am hoping can be resolved with an external microphone placed close to me rather than relying on my camcorder's internal microphone.

"Performing" cooking in front of the camera is very different from teaching and doing demonstrations of cooking- especially shooting footage knowing that there will be no retakes and it will probably not to be edited at all. Filmed cooking has to happen in a kind of time space compression and not in real time, of course editing helps with this considerably, however I don't really have that luxury for the time being. We don't have the time or resources for retakes either, this is crucial as everything is shot for "live" viewing as it were. We're using "home user" type editing programs such as videoegg and vlog. Both are actually quite good considering their cost- free-$29.

I prepped my mise en place and had all of my ingredients for a given recipe right in front of me or within arm's reach. After today's experience I am confident that I can do concise, LIVE 2-3 minute cooking demonstrations for morning news show segments. I am also confident that I can do longer segments that don't require much if any editing.

More Algerian Cuisine Foodcast Ideas

Besides filming in the Art Center Kitchen I'm taking my cooking posse around Los Angeles county for location shoots. I hope my wife's abilities with the camcorder develop rapidly, she tends to learn most things very quickly but we still expect some wobbly camera work at first. Think of it as a French auteur style food show *cough*.

I've asked my friend Norbert owner of The Beverly Hills Cheese Store to talk about some goat cheeses he carries in the store that remind me of Algerian cheeses. Check out Norbert narrating the debut episode of "Cheese" on the History Channel's Modern Marvels - check your local cable provider for channel information and listings at history.com. I took my friend chef Bruno of Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa there and as he says, "this is a real food store that smells of real food."

We'll also visit Clifford Wright who Coleman Andrews describes as "the reigning English-speaking expert on the cuisines and culinary cultures of the Mediterranean..." He also has a fantastic, larger than life personality.

I'll also have regular shows highlighting seasonal vegetables and fruits (what's in season at certified farmer's markets of southern california). Looking at the list now I'm thinking of various salsa tomatish (tomato salsa), tomato jam, sun (or oven dried) tomatoes packed in olive oil, uncooked tomato sauces for pasta, fruit salads and compotes, date charlottes with berries, and fruit syrups infused with hot and sweet spices. What I will probably do is show a variety of Algerian recipes highlighting a seasonal ingredient or do a three-course menu around seasonal themes.

The recipes on my shows are ones I learned from my maman and aunt Farida and regional recipes I learned or figured out how to prepare. Most of the techniques are the way a modern Algerian woman cooks. The chef in me comes out to make things easier or to apply Algerian dishes or flavors to restaurant contexts. Slow cooking is reserved for lazy weekends, special occasions or entertaining with friends.

Later this year I'll take a road trip up to Northern California to visit some friends and do more filming. Next year, it's off to Slow Food Terra Madre Arabia. And probably to Malaysia...

Stay tuned...

Mediterranean Creole™- First Algerian Cuisine Foodcast Scheduled for Filming Tomorrow

Me and my sous chef, Sean Christopher McCall in front of the kitchen where I'm filming tomorrow. If Sean's name sounds a wee bit Irish that's because he is! With a little bit of Sicilian on his mother's side or was it is father's grandmother? I don't remember. Anyway, he's my right-hand man.

My wife came up with the name Mediterranean Creole™ for my Algerian cuisine foodcasts. I've done a test run with the name and it has a certain ring to it that people like and more importantly it for me it encapsulates the uniqueness of Algerian cuisine. 

Regular readers of my blog know that I've been wanting to do foodcasts for quite some time. A busy work schedule has prevented me from doing this sooner. Busy is probably an understatement. The glamorous life of this chef includes 12 hour work days, 5-7 days a week. On some days I even work triple shifts. That's correct, 18 hour triple shifts. The cost of living in Los Angeles and raising a family here is very high.

I finally bought a camcorder yesterday. My wife and I did considerable research or rather lots of hand wringing and finally settled on something reasonable. At first our hearts were set on a Panasonic Pro AG-DVX100B 3-CCD MiniDV Proline Camcorder. However, when my wife went to EVS in Glendale the other day the salesman told us that although it was a great camera, really rugged and easy to use- it was becoming obsolete. Everything is going to HD now. The word "obsolete" was enough to scare us away from making what is to us a very big purchase, $$$$3000 and up.

We decided on the modestly priced Canon ZR 800. It was the only camera under $300 that we could find that supports an external microphone. Another benefit for novices like us is that the firewire connection makes it really easy to download and edit on our computer, at least we hope that's the case. Throw in an extra battery, a tripod, firewire hub and a microphone- the total expense was around $500, including the camera. Quite a step down from what we were planning on spending for the Panasonic prosumer camera. The tripod alone for that camera would have cost us $500, not including tax.

Our first filming session will be tomorrow at The Art Center Kitchen in Pasadena. It's the same kitchen I use to teach recreational cooking classes. These episodes will be shot in French. I have a pretty big francophone readership for this blog who keep demanding that I write my posts in French too. Since I don't have the time to do that now, my gesture is to present some of my foodcasts in French.

What's on the menu? Preserved lemons.

I'm shooting four short segments with recipes that include preserved lemons. Preserved lemons are increasingly popular, becoming a general pantry item for non-North African cooks in the States and Europe.

Meyer lemons are actually closer to the kind of thinner skinned, sweet lemons that are used in Algeria for preserving. The thicker skinned Eureka or Lisbon lemons make a fine substitute, so use those if that's what's available.

My recipe for Algerian preserved lemons . Preserved lemons are also available in stores such as Sur La Table, Whole Foods and specialty "gourmet" food stores. However I really encourage you make your own as they are very easy, versatile and an economical way to add flavor to range of Algerian and general Mediterranean dishes. At the same time there is something romantic about them- so pretty and colorful sitting on a kitchen shelf hinting at "exotic" North African cooking.